German Centrist Parties Block Merz’s AfD-Supported Migration Bill

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the fate of Germany’s controversial migration bill, a possible U.S.-Canada-Mexico-China trade war, and a Philippine proposal to end maritime clashes with China.

Breaking the ‘Firewall’

German lawmakers narrowly rejected controversial migration legislation on Friday that would have expanded federal police powers to carry out deportations and reduce irregular border crossings. Heated debate delayed voting on the legally binding bill for hours, as left-wing and centrist legislators tried to prevent the opposition conservative CDU/CSU bloc from aligning with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to pass it.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the fate of Germany’s controversial migration bill, a possible U.S.-Canada-Mexico-China trade war, and a Philippine proposal to end maritime clashes with China.

Breaking the ‘Firewall’

German lawmakers narrowly rejected controversial migration legislation on Friday that would have expanded federal police powers to carry out deportations and reduce irregular border crossings. Heated debate delayed voting on the legally binding bill for hours, as left-wing and centrist legislators tried to prevent the opposition conservative CDU/CSU bloc from aligning with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to pass it.

Had the bill succeeded, it would have been the first law in modern German history to be passed with support from the far right. Following the fall of the Nazi regime, centrist parties made a point of avoiding any cooperation with far-right parties, including the AfD, in keeping with the country’s “never again” mentality.

“Since the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany more than 75 years ago, there has always been a clear consensus among all democrats in our parliaments: We do not make common cause with the far right,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned parliamentarians earlier this week.

However, on Wednesday, CDU/CSU leader Friedrich Merz passed a similar but nonbinding migration motion with the help of the AfD, breaking the decades-old taboo (or so-called firewall) against mainstream parties working with the far right. “Never had any of the mainstream parties relied on AfD to make policy, and never had the far-right party been so vindicated by the establishment,” Berlin-based journalist Paul Hockenos wrote for Foreign Policy.

Wednesday’s vote occurred mere hours after the German Bundestag commemorated the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation. The motion’s passage sparked mass protests across the country demanding that the CDU/CSU not work with the AfD as well as prompted the high-profile resignation of a member of Merz’s own CDU party and a rare denunciation from former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Even Merz expressed some concerns with his own involvement. “Thinking about how the AfD faction will cheer and their happy faces makes me feel uncomfortable,” he said.

Such backlash ultimately led to the “influx limitation law” failing to pass on Friday, marking a significant blow for Merz ahead of federal elections on Feb. 23. Merz is considered the front-runner to become Germany’s next chancellor, after Scholz’s ruling mandate dissolved in November.

Migration remains a top concern among voters. Merz, himself, has pointed to recent attacks by non-German nationals for the law’s necessity, including a deadly knife attack in southern Germany last week and a vehicular assault on a Christmas market in December. Top lawmakers, however, remain wary of any legislation that aligns with an AfD win. “The fall from grace will be with you forever,” Social Democratic Party senior leader Rolf Mützenich told the CDU/CSU bloc on Friday.

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